Springfield, MO – The Springfield-Greene County Library District will host a groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in the Library Center's back lot for the new Hatch Auditorium project.
Representatives from the Library Board of Trustees, Friends of the Library, the Library Foundation, the Mayor and the County Commissioner will be on hand, as will Erin Danastasio with the Hatch Foundation. The Hatch Foundation made a $600,000 gift to the Library Foundation for the naming rights for the auditorium. The Friends of the Library have also made a $200,000 gift for the platform stage.
The new auditorium will be constructed on the west end of the Library Center. The 500-seat space will have retractable seating so that performances can be viewed theater style or the floor space can be used for events. The new addition will be 9,340 square feet. Once completed, the library will host a range of free programs and the space will be open to the public for various events, even after hours.
The Board of Trustees approved the overall cost at $7,652,407 during their September 17, 2024 meeting. Sapp Design is the architect for the project and Branco Construction will do the construction work. Construction is expected to begin in October and will take 14 months. The Library Center will remain open during construction.
In 2022, The Library District was awarded $10.5M in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. This construction project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP4542 awarded to State of Missouri by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Library is using the funding to make much-needed upgrades to the Midtown Carnegie Branch, build/renovate a new facility in Republic, and add an auditorium to the Library Center. The
Library will be reimbursed for half of the expenditures. The Library will fundraise for the additional funding needed.
For further information about the Springfield-Greene County Library District, contact Community Relations Director Vickie Hicks at 417-616-0654 or vickieh@thelibrary.org.